Fans of the Dolan Twins are currently in an uproar over what many say has been longtime racism within the fandom.

There's no doubt that Grayson and Ethan have tons of fans. They've amassed nearly 5 million subscribers on YouTube and both boast more than 5 million followers each on Twitter. However, many fans who are people of color have shared times where they have received racist remarks from those who appear to be people in the fandom. They have shared screenshots of these encounters, with others using expletives including the n-word and slinging other racist rhetoric. In certain occasions, it appears that entire accounts were created to harass people of color within the Dolan Twins fandom.

Last October, Twitter user @blck_goddess posted more screenshots showing some of the hateful language that certain users who claim to be fans have used. One person wrote in a comment, "She was totally bashing the twins for racism. Like who cares if your stupid *ss is being bullied? Stop complaining if you're called a n****r, you are a n****r so what's the big deal." It appears that this conversation happened after some fans were critiquing the Dolan Twins for a video in which they did a spray tan, which some interpreted as blackface because of a dark product being spread all over their bodies.

Along with posting the screenshots to bring awareness to the issue, @blck_goddess also revived the hashtag #dolanpoc "to bring awareness to the POC in the dolan fandom." She was told by a friend that it was started in 2015 but didn't seem to gain major traction back then. Others have also posted selfies of themselves to show that the fandom is diverse, full of people all shapes, sizes, and skin tones.

"I revived (as well as many others) the hashtag to bring awareness to ALL people of color from African to Asian that have been racially profiled as a fan of the twins," @blck_goddess told Teen Vogue. "I’ve came across many ignorant and sick comments about many black females and I just couldn’t sit back and watch, I had to do something."

Over the past couple of months, #dolanpoc has been fairly active with many people also @ing Ethan and Grayson asking them to address the racism that's been dividing the fandom. It finally came to a head earlier this week when Ethan tweeted, "We’re all the same," seemingly making somewhat of a statement about what's been going on amongst fans. Fed up with the twins not directly addressing the issue and believing this was a lukewarm response, many called him out.

A fan responded to his tweet, "It would be amazing if you could speak about the racism bc this is such a important topic in this fandom and we need someone like you to speak up."

Another person wrote, "Not surprised by this half ass statement at all. The fact that some POC still support these boys, when they are FULLY aware and have been made aware of the racism in their fandom, but CHOOSE to stay SILENT ... reveals A LOT about their character. #dolanpoc."

Following the backlash, Ethan decided to go a little more into depth with another thread of tweets a few days later. "Hey guys. I’m seeing a lot of discussion about racism in my notifications," he tweeted. "Also seeing some false accusations about myself for some reason.. please know that racism is something that I will never tolerate. It’s disgusting and I can’t believe it still exists."

Ethan continued, discussing the notion that some believe that he's been silent on the issue. He wrote, "I’ve seen posts stating I have been avoiding commenting on this issue.. which is false. If I see something like this I will address it immediately. Just because I’m not on my phone all day, doesn’t mean I’m running away from an issue that needs to be resolved."

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Many fans have expressed their gratitude for finally speaking out, @blck_goddess included. She told Teen Vogue, " I was so relieved and thankful, because FINALLY! He said something! That’s all we ever wanted, to feel equal, like everybody else. Even though, it took awhile, we, POC fans, did not stop or give up. We made sure to reach out to anybody that was willing to help and spread the word."

Of course, racism on the internet continues to happen all the time. But the topic of racism specifically within fandoms has yet to be adequately explored. Earlier this month, Logan Paul faced intense backlash for a video he posted which showed the body of a person who had apparently died by suicide. YouTuber and Japanese-America vlogger Reina Scully uploaded a video calling Logan out for his actions. Soon after, fans of Logan began harassing her with racist comments.

As for the Dolan Twins situation: fans believe that by finally speaking out about the issue, there has already been a shift. "Many 'fans' decided to unfollow him and other non-POC fans have spoken out about the racism in the fandom," @blck_goddess said. "There’s more representation now than there was before."

Going forward, hopefully more influencers will feel empowered to call out toxicity and racism within their fandoms.